


we never got this far.

by riakkuma



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Best Friends, Filipino!au, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Sebaek - Freeform, Tagalog!au, Unrequited Love
Language: Filipino
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-07-17
Packaged: 2020-06-30 02:17:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19843501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/riakkuma/pseuds/riakkuma
Summary: nasa tagaytay si sehun. ano nga bang meron 'dun?





	we never got this far.

**[from: baekhyun]**

_saan ka?_

nagu-unwind si sehun sa tagaytay. masarap ang hangin at malamig ang klima. tumirik man ang araw ay okay lang at natatabunan naman ng tamang timpla ng kapreskuhan.

if you’re unwinding then there must be something disappointing or heartbreaking that happened in your life. you want to look for yourself. nasa proseso ka ng self-love, at kung napagdesisyunan mo nang lumayo sa siyudad na hindi ka hinahayaang makinig sa katahimikan, inaayawan mo na ang nakaraan at tinatanggap ang dapat harapin sa kinabukasan.

kung baga nasa last step na towards acceptance and moving on.

na-enjoy naman niya ang kanyang pagd-drive sa kahabaan ng slex. tuloy-tuloy ang patakbo ng makina ng kotseng hiniram niya ng patago sa kanyang tatay. onting gas stop sa caltex, order ng cheeseburger sa mcdo at bayad sa tollgate, okay na.

okay na raw siya.

paulit-ulit na sinasabi ni sehun sa sarili niya na okay na siya.

okay na nga ba?

**[from: baekhyun]**

_busy?_

busy si sehun kakalakad sa picnic grove. ‘yung jacket niyang itim galing h&m ang karamay niya sa kalamigan with his hands inserted into its pockets. onti lang ang tao ngayon kasi wednesday, at sa ganitong araw ang break niya for the whole week of classes.

he enjoys the solitude this place brings. of course with the view of taal volcano staring back at him adds to the fulfillment that he made it this far today.

and the fact that he’s slowly learning to accept his relationship with baekhyun also makes him want to pat his own shoulders and say, “you deserve to be happy this time. unahin mo naman ang sarili mo.”

**[from: baekhyun]**

_nasa tagaytay ka ba?_

_kita ko ig stories mo, ah._

sehun continued to walk until he reached the place where he can really see taal. with the deep blue water surrounding it, it was mesmerizing. plus, the color of the sky blends with it so well, too.

“now this is the kind of unwinding that i want.”

he felt his phone vibrating in the pocket of his jeans. sehun took it out and there it is, staring at the name ‘baekhyun’ who is calling him.

hindi niya alam kung sasagutin niya. nakakailang ring na rin 'yung phone hanggang sa tumigil na. he noticed that there are four messages waiting to be read, and so he did.

sehun can feel that baekhyun is just near or may be willing to visit tagaytay because the byun family owns a house near the site. he would love to have some company siguro but unwinding nga siya ngayon. he needs a solid time for himself to think things thoroughly,

and baekhyun was the last person he wants to see right now.

pero hindi naman matiis ni sehun si baekhyun even though he sometimes leaves him on seen sa messenger and once he sends "slr!", sehun responds in a blink of an eye.

so he tapped the green button when baekhyun attempted to call for the second time.

"hello?"

"nasa tagaytay ako!!!" an excited baekhyun is on the other line.

sehun is thinking of a plausible excuse to dismiss the image of baekhyun running up to him in this beautiful day.

"ah," sinimulan na ni sehun ang kanyang ebas. "pauwi na ako, eh."

"nakakalayo ka na ba?"

"hindi pa naman." in which sehun cursed to himself na dapat hindi niya sinabi 'yun, at he already predicted what will come next.

"'ayan! daan ka dito!"

sehun couldn't bear the thought of ruining the happiness that lies in baekhyun's voice. he turned back from the sight of taal volcano and started to walk back to the entrance.

"give me twenty minutes then?"

"sure! call ka kapag malapit ka na."

"sige."

"sige, sige. babye!" then he hung up.

wala nang nagawa si sehun kung hindi huminga ng malalim at pagsisihan na dapat hindi nalang niya sinagot 'yung tawag.

pero wala eh, baekhyun 'yun eh.

_'di ko matiis. moving on ba talaga?_

baekhyun is naturally friendly to people. sometimes, it gets to the point that he gets too friendly especially to those who he likes to hang with.

and sehun was one of them.

he's clingy to sehun. palaging kasama pauwi. minsan naga-aya ng takoyaki sa the one bago makipagsiksikan sa lrt kapag rush hour. nagsesend ng notes na naka .docx format para ip-print nalang ni sehun.

you can call it as a strong friendship. it was built from simpleng kulitan at "hi, bro!" whenever they pass each other. mas nag-develop nung silang dalawa lang 'yung lalaki sa nstp group nila at nang nagkayayaan ng kfc sa tapat ng ust hospital after an earthquake seminar nung freshmen sila.

they immediately clicked. sa simpleng chat na rin ng "next time ulit!" ay naulit pa ng mga ilang beses hanggang naging part na sila ng same circle of friends with the kim siblings, jongdae, junmyeon, minseok and jongin.

among the group, clingy si baekhyun kay sehun. super. laging kinakagat ni baekhyun 'yung braso ni sehun. nagrereklamo lagi kasi masakit pero enjoy din naman niya. palaging nakasandal din si baekhyun kay sehun at kung mag-usap ay sobrang cute ng dating. kapag umiinom sila sa don antonio, palaging hinahatid ni sehun sa condo ni baekhyun sa sun residences sa tapat ng welcome rotonda kahit na wala na siyang masakyang bus pauwing batasan hills dahil gabi na.

and in those moments, he didn't know he's already falling for baekhyun byun.

gusto na niyang alagaan. gusto na niyang bantayan palagi. gusto na niyang payungan kapag tag-ulan.

gustong-gusto na niya si baekhyun.

sehun liked to roam around santo tomas every night because it was refreshing. saktong pm schedule siya. pero _liked._

laging kinekwentuhan ni baekhyun si sehun tungkol sa _guy niyang crush nanaman_. siguro naman kapag crush mo talaga ang isang tao, hindi mo mapipigilan mag-assume na ikaw na ‘yun lalo na’t lagi kayong magkasama. lalong lumalala kapag hinahawakan ni baekhyun ‘yung kamay ni sehun at nakapulupot ang mga braso sa baiwang niya. lagi rin silang magka-chat buong magdamag.

but his hopes slowly shattered when he found out one night na nakaupo sa damuhan sila chanyeol and baekhyun sa harap ng main building at statue ni st. miggy. chanyeol is baekhyun's ex. they said it was a mutual decision kahit hindi clear ‘yung naging closure. it was for the best daw.

and it all made sense, si chanyeol nanaman ‘yung crush ni baekhyun. siya ‘yung sinasabi niyang matangkad tapos sobrang sweet. cute raw pag magulo ng onti ang buhok. laging naka-earphones kapag pumapasok. palangiti, ma-aruga, at masarap kasama.

sehun would like to think he was the guy. some of his friends tease him pa nga kay baekhyun but he realized he was never that guy who smiles all the time. in fact, his cold face opposes to express his happy feelings most of the time. sakto ‘yung laging naka-earphones kapag pumapasok dahil pampagising sa puyat niyang estado. laging naka bench clay-doh ‘yung buhok niya at hindi naman magulo. ma-aruga? hindi masyado. masarap kasama? ni hindi nga masyadong nagsasalita si sehun kapag kasama niya si baekhyun. he just lets him do all the talking because grabe, he can listen to baekhyun all day. he’s literally whipped for him and curious about his daily shenanigans and how he appreciates the cgi of the recent spiderman franchise (far from home) like “super solid talaga, sehun. wag kang kukurap. you’ll miss the whole thing!”.

when he saw them that night, he thought baka wala lang. they’re just catching up with each other. they remained friends pa naman daw after the breakup. there was no hard feelings or whatsoever. he was his childhood friend after all.

but the thoughts were dismissed when chanyeol shifted his body to reach baekhyun’s figure and hugged him. he can tell baekhyun was taken aback but his arms also caressed chanyeol’s back. it looked intimate. it looked like there’s something going on again between the two.

and sehun never liked to roam around ust at night ever since. he didn’t like to see the lights surrounding the campus, or how the main building flashes its colorful lights that stands out. he never liked the way st. miggy points up to the sky anymore, and how the arch of the centuries stands proudly when passers come along in espana boulevard.

ayaw na niyang daanan ‘yung spot na ‘yun. magpipigil nanaman siyang umiyak sa kahabaan ng qpav palabas ng gate 2.

hindi na niya namalayan na nasa taas na ulit siya. he went straight to his car, type the details on the waze app, and started the engine. he rolled down the windows and enjoyed the fresh air that is hitting his smooth, pale face.

the drive was not less than 15 minutes. once he reached baekhyun’s gate, he honked his car. alam na ni baekhyun ‘yun.

a minute passed and there was baekhyun wearing an oversized shirt, shorts, and a pair of adidas slippers. he opened the gate for him and jokingly said, “welcome back, sir!”

napailing nalang si sehun pero cute talaga.

sehun parked his car and baekhyun patiently waited for him. mukha siyang sim. nakatayo lang tapos hindi gumagalaw pero nakangiti lang. ‘yung rectangle niyang ngiti.

so he went down from his car and walked towards baekhyun. the two exchanged a tight hug tapos medyo swinay ni baekhyun silang dalawa. there goes the normal, sweet, and clingy baekhyun.

“sabi ko mag-text ka, ah?”

“don’t text while driving na raw kasi, diba.”

“edi wow. tara, pasok.”

the house was filled with white and glass interiors, and high ceilings. there was a balcony that perfect depicts the view of taal where they sit all day and night to catch up kahit na wala nang ma-catch up since palagi naman silang updated sa isa’t isa.

but this situation is different. sehun’s been distant from the world lately. for sure, there’s a lot to talk about this day, and he thinks he wouldn’t be able to dodge the topic about chanyeol.

“will you stay for the night?” baekhyun asked.

“hindi na siguro. may pasok.” sehun replied and added, “ikaw? sabay ka na pa-manila?”

“sus. ditch mo na. dalawang oras lang pasok mo bukas, ah?”

sehun never missed a class ever since freshmen at ngayong third year na siya at nababawasan na ang units, ayaw niyang dumating sa point na tamarin na siya. the fact na pumapasok siya kahit may hangover, ganun siya ka-responsible as a student (medyo tamad minsan mag-aral but hey! attendance matters in college).

but ditching a two-hour class wouldn’t hurt a little, right? sakto naman ang gwa niya basta hindi lang ma-debar, okay lang.

“dali na!” pilit ni baekhyun.

_but being on the same room with you will put me so much in pain, baekhyun._

“wala akong damit…?”

“naiwan mo ‘yung polo mong stripes tapos ‘yung boxers mong pinang-swimming nung huling punta mo dito.”

“tagal na nun, ah?” last na punta rito ni sehun nung nagkayayaan mag-tagaytay ng biglaan kasi pare-parehas ‘yung out nila ng 10am (spontaneous trips are the best, sabi nga nila).

“hehe.”

“sige na nga.”

“sige, sir!” sabi ni baekhyun. “relax po muna kayo. mamaya po ang happy ending.”

“amp.”

at wala na nga nanamang nagawa si sehun kung hindi pumayag. he’d like to test na rin if he can bear being with baekhyun even if his condition is like _this_. acceptance nga kasi, diba. may mga instances kasing akala mo moving on ka na but once you caught a glimpse of the person you’re moving on from, you’re back to square one.

_kaya ko ‘to. one night lang._

magha-hapon na pala. it’s around 5pm. sehun’s stomach is quite growling at this point. fortunately, baekhyun brought up that he’s hungry, too. he cooked pancit canton and sehun was in charge to boil the eggs and taga-timpla ng pineapple flavored tang juice.

they settled the pancit canton and the juice on the top of the table sa balcony, and sat on the chairs. nothing can top the view in sehun’s perspective. it gave him a peace of mind and silence, except that the silence was broken when he hears baekhyun hurriedly twirling his fork on the canton. gutom na gutom na talaga siya.

“sarap ba?” tanong ni sehun.

“oo.” baekhyun replied. “pero mas masarap ka.”

sehun playfully rolled his eyes and baekhyun laughed a little. sinimulan na rin ni sehun ‘yung paghimay ng nilagang itlog at hinalo na sa pancit canton niyang calamansi flavor.

baekhyun was a spicy pancit canton lover but for sehun, he sets it aside. kaya palaging may spare na calamansi flavor sa kitchen drawer nila in case pumunta si sehun.

after ilang nguya, baekhyun started the conversation with a simple “’musta?”.

“oks lang.” sehun calmly answered. his straight demeanor puts a façade to mask his true feelings, and right now, despite of the bad first impressions that people give to him, he was thankful for it.

“sure?” baekhyun stared at him as if he was expecting that sehun will speak a little more but nope. he was greeted by “oo naman. bakit naman hindi?”

“well, for starters, tagal mong ‘di nag-share ng memes sa facebook.” in which sehun shook his head in amusement. “and deretso ka uwi kapag niyayaya kitang mag-mcdo.”

“sobrang pagod ko lang talaga these days.”

not physically but mentally tired. it’s emotionally draining the hell out of him. dismissing feelings for a short period of time? and every time he denies to himself he wouldn’t continue this ridiculous attachment to baekhyun makes things even worse.

and he hates he couldn’t go back to the way things are supposed to be.

_magkaibigan lang tayo. hanggang doon lang._

“you?” sehun asked.

“na-miss kita.”

_baekhyun, please lang._

“sobra.”

_don’t make this harder for me._

“here i am, baekhyun.” the atmosphere started to get serious, and the wind is whistling again. “have me all day.”

sehun smiled but baekhyun didn’t do the same.

ngayon lang din napansin ni sehun na ubos na pala talaga ‘yung pancit canton ni baekhyun pero may natitira pang isang nilagang itlog.

“oh? ‘di mo kinain ‘yung itlog.”

“spared that one for you. alam ko namang favorite mo ‘yan.”

“well, if you insist.”

sehun took off the egg’s shell and dalawa na ‘yung itlog niya sa plato niyang puno ng pancit canton. on the other hand, baekhyun didn’t shift his gaze to anywhere else. his eyes stayed staring at sehun. nung pasubo na ng canton si sehun, he noticed that he’s being watched.

"bakit?”

“say aaaaah!”

“baekhyun naman.”

“hehe.”

ayan nanaman ‘yang _hehe_ niya. napaka-cute. sarap iuwi.

“sehun.”

“bakit?” he tried his hardest to answer with a mouthful amount of pancit canton that he is savoring.

“sabay tayong lalabas ng arch, ha?”

“oo naman.”

“literal na sabay, ha. tabi ka sa’kin tapos tatakbo tayo palabas.”

sehun doesn’t know where this is coming from. he was confused. baekhyun never said a thing this serious that involves him.

so he asked to give him clarifications. “anong meron?”

“wala lang.” baekhyun dismissed the topic but he was contented that he got a promise from sehun.

when sehun was finished eating all of it, baekhyun almost forgot to bring glasses. he stood up and came back with them. he poured sehun a drink and for himself. together, they watched the sunset.

sehun took a quick glance of baekhyun’s face that is now being illuminated by the orange sky. he looked perfect like this. if he got the chance to kiss him right now, he would. however, hindi pwede ‘yun, not with baekhyun who doesn’t reciprocate his feelings and their pancit canton filled breaths.

so he just stood up and leaned on the rail. he put of his arms on the ledge and enjoyed the scenery. you never get this view a lot back in manila since skyscrapers and the busy movements of the city distract you from taking a moment to look up to the sky, and in this moment, he savored it all.

baekhyun followed and stood beside him. sehun’s heart started to beat fast again just how it is when he sees baekhyun slowly approaching him when they meet. nakakatempt hawakan ‘yung kamay ni baekhyun pero pigilan nalang talaga. bawal ‘yun.

hindi alam ni sehun kung anong pumasok sa utak niya at natanong niya ang “baekhyun, do you see your future with me?”

he felt baekhyun’s eyes on him but sehun acted to play it cool. it sounded like a casual question but for baekhyun, it’s hard to answer.

it took him a while to answer. in sehun’s mind, he should’ve not asked nalang. too personal. you’ll never know what changes will happen for the next two years before accomplishing that exiting-the-arch promise. it was a stupid move.

“i do, sehun. i truly do.”

nakatingin na si sehun kay baekhyun.

“i see my future with you. waking up seeing your face every morning would be so lovely, too. wala akong pake if you take up so much space in my bed but i don’t really mind as long as you’re on it, you’re with… me.”

sehun was speechless. hindi niya alam kung anong nangyayari because the memories of baekhyun and chanyeol still lingers at the back of his head.

but he let him continue.

“sabi nga ni chanyeol sa’kin, ‘wag ko na raw pakawalan ‘yung taong gusto kong maging kasama sa panghabang buhay. we made the same mistake once but we’re thankful that it happened because… if it wasn’t for it, we wouldn’t meet the people who we choose to love for the rest of our lives.

we think of it as a blessing in disguise, and we view what happened to us back then as a stepping stone to grow up.” baekhyun let out a chuckle as he reminisced his times with chanyeol. that night when sehun witnessed it all was when they finally got the closure they never settled. they remained friends and it was genuine for them to think of it as a happy memory just like baekhyun had said.

“he knows you, too. he said i chose the right one. i always tell him about you as much as he tells me that he found the one for him na rin, kyungsoo.”

baekhyun’s tears are starting to roll down on his cheeks. imagine the amount of guts and courage to say that out loud to sehun? it scared him the most. he never got this far.

with shaky voice, he asked him back.

“do you see your future with me? do you feel the same way, too?”

sehun slowly stepped back and baekhyun closed his eyes. he thought he fucked up and made sehun leave. he must have felt overwhelmed.

but he felt a pair of arms wrapping his waist and a kiss on the top of his head.

baekhyun reached for sehun’s hands and slightly gripped it. his worries are now gone as sehun whispered into his ear.

“yes, baekhyun. i feel the same way, too.

you don’t know how much i waited for this moment to come.”


End file.
